Page 101 of Landon & Shay: Part Two

Oh my gosh.

I couldn’t breathe.

The tears officially began falling down my cheeks.

The first thing that came to mind was Landon.

I had to call Landon, because even though we weren’t who we used to be, I still remembered how heavy situations affected his soul. Especially when it came to things like a person overdosing and trying to take their life.

I scrambled to dial his phone number, and when he answered, he knew exactly what I was calling about.

“Hey. Grey already called me. I’m heading to the airport right now to get home,” he said. I could hear the panic in his voice, the fear sitting in his throat.

“Okay. If you need anything…” I started.

“Thanks,” he replied. “Are you all right?” he asked.

The question made more tears fall from my eyes. “No. Are you?”

“Not at all.”

32

Landon

By the timeI arrived in Chicago, Greyson already had Karla in an inpatient mental health clinic. I had a taxi take me directly from the airport to the clinic and when I arrived, Shay was sitting in the waiting room, right beside Greyson.

I hurried over to them and didn’t say a word at all. I simply pulled Greyson into a tight embrace and refused to let go any time soon.

“Fuck, Grey,” I muttered, feeling my emotions heightening as I held on to my friend.

“I know,” he agreed, pulling away from me. He pinched the bridge of his nose before wiping the tears that began to fall down his cheeks. “I’ve never been so scared in my life. Landon, if she would’ve taken those pills…” he started.

I shook my head. “She didn’t. She didn’t, Greyson. She’s okay.”

“She’s not okay.” He sniffled and wiped his hand beneath his nose. “She’s so fucking far from okay.”

I didn’t know what to say, because he was right. Karla wasn’t all right, and she wouldn’t be for a long time. I knew those struggles, and the heaviness of the thoughts that came with thoughts of suicide. I knew how it overtook a person and could’ve swallowed them whole.

I’d been there before. I’d lived that life, and it took a lot of time and soul-searching for me to crawl out of that cave of despair.

“Mr. East?” a woman called out. “You can come back now. The exam is over, and your daughter asked for you to be with her for the next steps.”

Greyson hurried away. I raced my hands through my hair and took a deep breath before turning to Shay. “Hi.”

She stood to her feet. “Hi.”

Then, she bombarded me with a hug. She hugged me. Her arms wrapped tightly around my body in a warm embrace. I couldn’t recall the last time Shay hugged me. Hell, it’d been years. Sure, lately our bodies had been falling together, but never in the form of a hug.

I welcomed the embrace.

I needed it, because I felt as if I was seconds away from falling apart.

I cleared my throat as we pulled apart from one another. “How’s your heart?” I pushed out.

She smiled the saddest smile in the world as her brown eyes pierced straight into my soul. “How’s your heart?” she countered.

A few tears fell from my eyes, and I quickly pushed them away. I forced a smile. “Still beating.” Not as strongly as it should’ve, but it was still going strong, because Karla was still in this world with us. We hadn’t lost her, and that felt like the smallest of victories.

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